Hudson tops Hillsdale in defensive grudge match

Sunday

Sep 22, 2013 at 4:20 PMSep 22, 2013 at 4:20 PM

By Phillip Morganpmorgan@hillsdale.netIn a sloppy, grind-it-out rivalry game, the Hudson Tigers prevailed over the Hillsdale Hornets.Hudson won 16-7, as both teams saw their offenses stifled by the rain, penalties, and stalwart defenses. Yet, when it mattered most, the Tigers made plays.“It came down to big plays,” Hillsdale coach Marc Lemerand said after the game. “They made them. Wedidn’t.”The Hornets did, however, begin the game with a bang.As the Tigers tried to punt away their first possession, Hillsdale junior Pat Drews broke through for the block. Junior Kevin Curby scooped up the bouncing football and dove into the end zone.Joe Philipp knocked in the kick for a 7-0 lead.The two teams went back and forth with fruitless possessions until the Tigers put together a promising drivelate in the first quarter. On the two-yard line, Hudson running back Shay McDaniel broke through the line of scrimmage and scored.Hudson head coach Chris Luma, again, gave McDaniel the nod for the two-point conversion attempt.The fleet-footed back got outside the Hornet defenders, turned the corner, and dove for the end zone.The conversion gave the Tigers and 8-7 lead.“I knew the two-point was a big deal," McDaniel said. “We always know we need to get the two-pointconversions.”For the remainder of the first half and the entirety of second, the game remained 8-7.Beginning in the first quarter, the two teams frequently committed penalties. The Hornets gave up 100 yards on nine penalties, including a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call, which pushed the Hornets outof the red zone.“I stepped on the field,” Lemerand said. “It was my mistake.”As gentle rains continued to soak the field, the defenses buckled down on the run game. Led by the tenacious play of Drews and linebacker Andrew Wilcox, the Hornets surrendered little yardagethrough the first half. Drews led the team with 10.5 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Nate Boardman followed with eight.“We practice for it all week,” Boardman said of the Tigers’ running attack. “Stop the trap- the defensive line did great.”Hudson resorted to passing more, and Hudson quarterback Clayton Brockway spread the ball to three different receivers. Brockway finished the game seven of twelve for 98 yards.The Tigers threatened just before the half, but could not find the end zone.The first half ended with the scored stuck at 8-7, in favor of Hudson.Hudson coach Luma caught the Hornet off guard when he opened the second half with an onside kick. The ball slid by the Hornets and it looked as Hudson junior Roddy Hamdan would pounce on it.Hillsdale’s Marshall Hamel dove just in time to wrestle the ball away from Hamdan.The Hornet and Tigers offenses remained stagnant in the third quarter.Andrew Wilcox nearly intercepted a pass at the 3:45 mark but, with slippery conditions, he could not keep a hold on the ball.Punter Dan Komarynski let loose a 55-yard bomb, pushing the Hornets back downfield. Komarynski and Hillsdale’s Joe Philipp kept the offenses in poor field position with long punts.At the end of the third quarter, the scored remained 8-7.At the 9:30 mark, The Tigers reached the Hornet 26-yard line with short runs and a face-mask penalty by the Hornets.On second down, Brockway threw for Komarynski, as he broke toward the right side of the end zone. The pass was placed perfectly and Komarynski’s touchdown gave the Tigers a 14-7 advantage.Luma opted to go the two-point conversion and make it a two-possession affair. Luma put all of his running backs in motion, emptying his backfield. Brockway lobbed the ball towardthe far corner of the endzone. Junior Zach Akers ran under the ball, made the catch, and put the score to 16-7.With 7:02 left in the game, Hillsdale desperately needed a spark. A controversial pass interference call bailed the Hornets out of a fourth and long situation.As the clocked ticked down toward the five-minute mark, and the rains began to fall harder, Hillsdale runners strung together a promising drive.The Hornets reached the 25-yard line as Petersen connected multiple times with Wilcox. The Hornets nearly scored when Petersen threw to Wilcox in the endzone. Wilcox juggled the ballbefore falling out of bounds and making the catching.Hillsdale found themselves in a fourth and short situation.Petersen spotted Austin Hawkins who was wide open in the flats. Hawkins could not wrangle in theslippery ball, ending the Hornet drive."It was just too late," Petersen said.Petersen and his receivers struggled with the slippery conditions all night. Petersen threw nine completions in 24 attempts for 96 yards. Wilcox was the only Hornet with more than two receptions.Hudson took over with about three minutes left in the game and firm grasp on a 16 -7 victory.McDaniel, who led all rushers with 103 yards, said the Tiger-Hornet rivarly demands a concentrated effort."It started last Monday," McDaniel said. "We knew what we had to do and we focused down."